Fast Fridge (Drawer) Fix

I’m not sure why it was today of all days. I’d been putting up with the cracked and duct-taped refrigerator drawer for months. Literally. But today, it was too much. I had to fix that run-down, broken refrigerator drawer. I. Just. Had. To.

A Christmas fridgacle

Let me tell you a bit about this refrigerator. It was a Christmas miracle – a fridgacle. Get it? No? Just not funny? I’ll return to the story. It was the eve of Christmas eve and we were planning our prep/pre-cook schedule for the Christmas Eve Dinner Party we were hosting. Several families would be coming. When I opened the refrigerator door, I was met with tepid air. I remember pausing in mid-sentence, as I realized what that meant. With a R-rated word, I opened the freezer. Bags of peas and broccoli florets floated like icebergs.

Luckily, my husband was home, so we could both enter panic mode. I will spare you the details (mostly because I have blocked them out. There were two questions that needed immediate answers. How do we keep the food cold? And can we host Christmas Eve without a fridge?

We live in Wisconsin, and it was nice and chilly outside, so the answer to question one was handled. We packed totes and coolers with the food and carted it to the patio. Now for question two, could we host Christmas without a refrigerator? I didn’t think so. What would happen that night when the animals came out? Or the temperature went to freezing? Luckily, my husband agreed. All the appliance stores we called that day said they needed at least a week to deliver. Finally, we decided to go to a big box home improvement store. They were selling floor models at a steep discount (because did I mention it was Christmas, so money was tight).

Miracle or miracles, they had a refrigerator that was just the right height to fit under the cabinets and that matched our counter depth. It was even stainless steel, an upgrade from our “almond” finish. We were all set. Then the sales woman went to schedule delivery and frowned. “Ah, I’m really sorry to tell you this,” she said. “Usually we do next day delivery, but because it is Christmas Eve, well, there are no available slots.” I couldn’t blame delivery personnell for wanting December 24th off, but it wouldn’t help my dilemma. Luckily, we are a DIY family, so we improvised. We brought the fridge home in our mini van.

To be fair, my husband had to drop me and the kids at home first. Our seats needed to be folded and/or removed. Then he drove back to the store where a nice pair of men helped him load the refrigerator into the back. When he arrived at him, he came in and we stared at the neck challenge. The stairs.

We live in a tri-level, which means there are 5 steps up to our kitchen. And I am no help at all for lifting things heavier than a bag of dog food. There is no giving up in my house, though. Using a dolly, my husband bumped (I mean carefully maneuvered) the fridge up one step at a time. Honestly, I’m still not quite sure how he did it, or which dings are from the showfloor vs. the “delivery.”

Still, we felt blessed as we brought all the food back inside. I hung the Christmas cards on the front, effectively hiding all the imperfections and voila.

We still love this fridge. It has a door water spigot and ice machine. There is plenty of room for photos and artwork. And my youngest son can reach the snack shelves himself. The one dark cloud was/is the plastic drawers and shelf supports. Upon installation a door bin fell out and cracked in half. The Chiller Drawer developed a crack in the corner within a month. The plastic support for the Chiller Drawer broken after that, followed by a handsized chunk from the back.

I looked online for a replacement door bin and drawer, but there was nothing. Apparently, the fridge was discontinued. (I guess I know why they were selling the floor model). I used “Clear” duct tape and super glue. Hardly the magazine-ready look.

A fridge makeover

That brings us to today, when I looked at my sad, beaten Chiller Drawer and decided enough was enough. If they can turn hard-living people into models, I can extreme makeover my own refrigerator drawer.

My mind buzzed around my mental craft closet. Hmmm, contact paper? I possessed some gray and white paper in an arabesque tile pattern. I used it on another project to add a boho feel to a farmhouse piece of furniture and had lots left over. I got out the roll and went to work.

First I traced the drawer handle onto the back of the contact paper. Easy. I cut it out, leaving a bit of a gap that I could fold over, and applied it. What a difference! I really liked it, but some of the duct tape still showed from the corner crack. I decided to try covering the entire drawer front. I measured, cut, and applied. However, this one didn’t go so well. It looked too solid, too dark. I missed the transparent front. I removed the front panel, but left the handle. Then I thought, why don’t I just use a strip, right near the handle it will look decorative. It was just the thing. It works with the design and yet, still hides the duct tape. Admiring it, I also decided to add a piece to the back of the drawer, to cover the large plastic chunk I glued back into place. When filled, the drawer looks super stylish, if I do say so myself.

I took my fashionable Chiller Drawer to the fridge and slid it into place. Something was off. The drawer stood out, and not in a good way. I looked at it, thought about it, and looked somemore. Then I happened upon an easy solution. Each of my refrigerator shelves has a white plastic frame that holds the glass. I covered that white area with the contact paper. It is just the front part, so it went super fast. I also covered the handles of the other two drawers, just to make it consistent. When things match, or a pattern repeats, I think it looks more professional and complete.

I’m a ‘That Mom’

When my 14-year-old daughter saw my fridge makeover, she said, “Oh. You’re that girl.” If you have a 14 year old, you will know that tone is hard to read at that age. I asked her want she meant. Apparently, to her, a “That girl” is a superwoman-type person who has a 9-part skin regiment and perfect everything. So, I’m going to take looking like a “That Girl” as a compliment, even if it is only in my refrigerator.

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DIY STEPS

1. Reinforce your cracks with duct tape and/or glue. It doesn’t matter what color you use since you will be covering it up. For the most recent crack, I used black.
2. Trace your drawer handle onto the back of the contact paper, and then put a second line a bit further away to give yourself an edge to press over. Cut out your new line.
3. Apply the paper and trim where necessary. Consider other areas you might want to add contact paper. I added some in the back since I had a large crack I wanted to hide.
4. Fill the drawer and return it to the refrigerator.
5. Consider adding to the other drawers or shelves. I didn’t think just one drawer beautified worked. I would recommend doing all the drawers, and even shelves (partial or full). It provides are more cohesive look. Tip: The contact paper does not stick well to cold plastic. For best results, remove the drawers/shelves before applying. Or, just keeping pressing it down like I do. 🙂

The whole project is easy and makes a statement. So go for it, and be a “That Mom.” today.